Department for Transport

Blue Badge Scheme

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides for local authorities on the administration of blue badge disabled parking arrangements.

Andrew Jones: The Blue Badge scheme applies to on-street parking only. The Department for Transport (DfT) has produced non-statutory guidance designed to help local authorities with the administration and enforcement of the scheme. The guidance can be viewed at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-blue-badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance-englandThe guidance also includes a link to a good practice guide on inclusive mobility which includes a chapter on parking issues aimed at helping local authorities meet their obligations under the Equalities Act 2010.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing web-enabled out-of-hours transfer of vehicle ownership and payment of vehicle excise duty by new vehicle owners.

Andrew Jones: Vehicle keepers are already able to license their vehicle and pay vehicle excise duty online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.The online notification of a change of vehicle keeper service is an innovative new facility that was launched in 2015 as an alternative to postal services. This service is currently available between 8am and 6pm as the systems that support it rely on real-time validation of the registered keeper’s details against the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s vehicle register. The legacy IT services that support the vehicle register are only available during these hours, due to the system requirements to update the record daily. There are no current plans to extend the hours that this service is available.

Railways: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the increased passenger growth due to the introduction of the direct train service between Shrewsbury and London.

Claire Perry: Since the introduction of the new direct services to Shrewsbury in December 2014, there has been an additional 30,000 journeys on the route year on year on the flows of Shrewsbury, Wellington and Telford to and from London. The new services themselves also provide an enhanced level of service between Shropshire and the West Midlands.In terms of journey growth figures for each station, they are as follows:FlowGrowth %London - Shrewsbury23London - Wellington25London - Telford Central10Advanced bookings on the direct trains are also showing a steady growth since introduction. As we only have one year’s data available, it is difficult to compare but we have seen a growth of around 25% -30% which ties in with the figures above.

Rolling Stock

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the procurement of bi-modal trains so that more trains can run on the West Coast Main Line and then travel on to parts of the network that are not electrified.

Claire Perry: It is for the operator to assess the merits of using such rolling stock. We believe that they are best placed to procure the rolling stock that they require to deliver the necessary levels of service and capacity. Bi-modes clearly provide one option for new rolling stock as can be seen by the current procurement of the Class 300s by Great Western Railway.

Cycling: Expenditure

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has invested in cycling in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In the last three years, the Department for Transport (DfT)’s budgets for cycling programmes were:DfT budgets: (million)2012-132013-142014-15Cycle-Rail£7.0£7.5Bikeability£11.7£11.7£11.7Junction safety£30.0£5.0Linking Communities£8.0£7.5Cycling Ambition - Cities/National Parks£46.6£46.6Highways Agency£4.8LSTF- Cycling£37.8£37.8£37.8Total DfT £94.5£120.9£96.1In 2014-15, the Department’s dedicated cycling programmes were Bikeability, Cycle Ambition Cities, Cycling in National Parks and the Highways Agency’s cycling programme. The Department funds cycling programmes through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, with around 28% of the LSTF being spent on cycling. The Department secures a range of match funding contributions from local authorities for these programmes: the LSTF secured 99% match funding.

Cycling: Per Capita Costs

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend per person on cycling in England outside London for each year until 2020-21.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has agreed a four-year revenue and five-year capital settlement for local transport spend, which includes cycling and walking investment. The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will explain the Government’s investment strategy for cycling and walking.

Airports: Health Hazards

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to publish a health impact assessment on proposals for new airport runways of (a) the health effects of noise and (b) other health effects before the construction of those runways is started.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.

Bus Services: Tyne and Wear

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18162, if he will place in the Library a summary of the internal findings following his Department's consideration of the Quality Contract Scheme Board report.

Andrew Jones: The Quality Contract Scheme (QCS) process is independent of the Department, and as such the Department has not formed a specific view on the merits of the proposed Tyne and Wear QCS proposal. The Quality Contract Scheme Board’s report has been considered internally with a view to informing and developing future policy and it is the Government’s intention to introduce a Buses Bill.

Large Goods Vehicles: 







Parking

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18160, on lorry parking, if he will update the House on his Department's progress on this issue once the initial discussions are complete.

Andrew Jones: We have not completed the initial discussions with the parties. We will continue to keep interested members informed.

Railways: North of England

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of the negotiations on the TransPennine Express rail franchise agreement.

Andrew Jones: The costs of the project to procure the TransPennine Express rail franchise, to the end of November 2015, were £6.9M. Forecast costs to project completion, including project mobilisation, are expected to add a further £0.6M to this, making an estimated total of £7.5M by the end of the project. These figures include adviser costs (financial, technical and legal advisers), pay costs for the project team, “non-pay” costs (such as staff training, travel, bidder day seminar, consultation materials, etc) and VAT where applicable. The costs of procuring this franchise however need to be set against the context of a deal whereby the Government will receive £400million in premiums over the life of the franchise, compared to the previous situation where the franchise was subsidised. In addition, the franchise will deliver a transformation in services, with, for example, an overall capacity boost of nearly 70% across the region during the morning peak and doubling the number of Manchester to Newcastle services from December 2017.

Railways: North of England

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of the negotiations on the Northern rail franchise agreement.

Andrew Jones: The costs of the project to procure the Northern rail franchise, to the end of November 2015, were £8.0M. Forecast costs to project completion, including project mobilisation, are expected to add a further £0.6M to this, making an estimated total of £8.6M by the end of the project. These figures include adviser costs (financial, technical and legal advisers), pay costs for the project team, “non-pay” costs (such as staff training, travel, bidder day seminar, publicity, etc) and VAT where applicable.The costs of procuring this franchise however need to be set against the context of a deal whereby the amount of annual subsidy will be reduced by £140million by the end of this 9-year contract. In addition, unlike the last Northern franchise in 2004 which included limited plans to invest in services or meet demand, this new franchise will deliver more than 2,000 extra services each week, nearly a 40% increase in capacity and the complete removal of the outdated and unpopular Pacers by the end of 2019.

Cycling: Finance

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support will be available for long-term planning for cycling in the period between the closure of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund in April 2016 and the publication of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in summer 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Following the recent Spending Review confirmation of this Government’s commitment to cycling and walking by committing to investing over £300million to 2020, I am considering in more detail future sustainable transport programmes. This includes the new ‘access’ fund, which is anticipated to build on the legacy of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The Government is also currently developing the first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and will be engaging with interested parties as this work progresses. I plan to publish further details shortly.At the same time, the Local Growth Fund already includes many ongoing cycling and other sustainable transport initiatives.This Government also remains committed to the principles of localism. Local authorities are well placed to decide their local priorities in relation to sustainable transport initiatives. Government resources allocated to local authorities, such as the local integrated transport block, can be flexibly distributed accordingly.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to assess the potential effect of a third runway at Heathrow on air quality around that airport.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Airports Commission published a large amount of analysis on air quality for their three shortlisted schemes. It is my intention to test the Commission’s air quality analysis against the Government’s new Air Quality Plan. This was a recommendation of the Environmental Audit Committee alongside other recommendations that I will fully consider in due course.

Roads

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies (a) in general and (b) on road safety of each region's road users' satisfaction survey published by Highways England on 11 December 2015.

Andrew Jones: The recently published National Road Survey Satisfaction Survey is based on responses from interviews of approximately 2,000 road users per annum. The results are analysed on an ongoing basis and provide insight to inform the development of Highways England‘s work.We aim to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year. We have been working closely with road safety groups to consider what more can be done and expect to publish our Road Safety Statement shortly. The Road Safety Statement will set out the high level plan and overarching approach to road safety that we expect to take over the rest of the Parliament, and will be followed by a series of more detailed proposals and consultations.Highways England has recently announced their new road safety ambition that no one shall be harmed while working or travelling on the network. In support of this, they have launched their 5 year Health and Safety Plan which contains specific actions relating to road safety.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Social Services: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 3.15 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what steps he plans to take to address the effects of regional variation in council tax revenue on funding for social care under the proposed council tax precept for social care.

Mr Marcus Jones: It is for local authorities to allocate funding to individual services from their overall budget. In recognition of increasing demand for social services, the Spending Review announced an ambitious plan to integrate health and social care across the country by 2020, and a £3.5 billion package to support local authorities with responsibility for adult social care to meet the needs of their local population. This includes giving councils the additional freedom to introduce a social care precept onto council tax bills, which local authorities with responsibility for Adult Social Care services can choose to take up from 2016-17. The consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement will soon be published and it will include proposed changes to rebalance support, including to those authorities with social care responsibilities, by taking into account the main resources available to councils.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Turkey on its commitment to (a) improving the human rights situation in that country and (b) meeting the criteria for entry to the EU.

Mr David Lidington: We continue to monitor closely human rights developments in Turkey. British officials regularly raise human rights issues in their contacts with Turkish political leaders and officials at all levels. I discussed human rights and EU accession with my Turkish counterpart when he visited my constituency in August. We strongly encourage Turkey to continue work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, especially in the areas of women’s and minority rights, freedom of religion and freedom of expression. We welcome progress made thus far, and as the EU Commission highlights, further sustained work is needed to meet EU standards. The UK Government continues to support Turkey’s EU accession process and is working closely with Turkey, EU Member States, and European institutions on this. It is a positive sign that Turkey-EU relations have been reinvigorated following the successful Turkey-EU summit in Brussels on 29 November.

Israel: Palestinians

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is providing to Israel to help prevent knife attacks by Palestinians on Israeli citizens.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions. I discussed the recent violence with the Israeli Charge D’Affaires and officials from the Israeli Ministry of Defence on 24 November. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have also discussed the issue of the current violence with the Israeli Head of the Civil Department of the Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on 24 November. However the Government is not providing any assistance to Israel specifically to help prevent knife attacks.

Iran: Human Rights

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what account his Department takes of the human rights situation and reports of persecution on the basis of religious belief in Iran in setting its policy on changes to sanctions imposed on that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We continue to urge Iran to abide by its international commitments to ensure all Iranians enjoy the rights and freedoms they are entitled to. There has been no real improvement in the human rights situation, and in some cases, the situation appears to have worsened. As such, we have designated over 80 Iranians responsible for human rights violations under EU sanctions.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK plans to take as a member of the UN Security Council to facilitate diplomatic negotiations on protecting civilians in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Protection of civilians in Syria, as well as those who have been forced to flee the country, is a priority for the UK. In the Security Council we have co-sponsored a number of humanitarian resolutions that call for an end of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of barrel bombs, starvation as a method of warfare and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Specifically, the UK played a key role in negotiating resolution 2191, which has allowed the UN and its partners to deliver aid across Syria’s borders to people who were previously denied access, including food for 2.1 million people and medical supplies for 2.5 million people.The long term protection of civilians requires an end to the conflict in Syria and a political settlement. The International Syria Support Group in its communiqué of 14 November called on all parties to adhere to International Humanitarian Law and end immediately indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect civilians in Syria in its strategy to tackle ISIL.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Ultimately the best way to protect civilians in Syria from Daesh’s brutality and inhumanity is by defeating Daesh and establishing peace and stability in the region. We are the second largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid to Syria and the region. Many of our projects are aimed at protecting civilians – such as support to civil defence and search and rescue teams throughout Syria.By joining Coalition airstrikes in Syria, the UK is bringing the most advanced forms of targeting and precision weaponry, possessed by only a small number of international actors. We observe rigorous targeting protocols. These have meant that in more than a year of strikes against Daesh targets in Iraq, there have been no reports of civilian casualties resulting from UK operations. We are bringing these same protocols in our work in Syria.

Turkey: Arrests

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on recent arrests by the Turkish government of members of the (a) Kurdish political opposition and (b) Daesh in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on Turkish military action in Kobane; and if he will make a statement.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Turkish military action against (a) the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq and (b) ISIS since July 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on negotiating a ceasefire with the Kurdistan Workers' Party; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: We are closely monitoring all of these and related events in Turkey and the region. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces. We support Turkey’s right to defend itself against all forms of terrorism. We have been clear that the PKK must cease its violence and the peace process needs to be resumed. The UK stands ready to help in any way it can in this regard. I last raised this with my Turkish counterpart when we met in August.The Government continues to monitor closely Turkey’s democratic reforms, including as part of the EU accession process, focusing particularly on freedom of expression, respect for the rule of law and minority rights.We welcome Turkey’s invaluable contribution to the international campaign against Daesh, particularly its agreement for the use of its airspace and airbases, as a member of the Global Coalition committed to defeating it. Turkey has been carrying out military strikes against Daesh since July 2015, and state that they have detained over 2,500 Daesh suspects since 2013, of whom one third are foreigners. Turkey recognises the role that Syrian Kurds have to play in the fight against Daesh, and accepts that Syrian Kurds receive Coalition support.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's target is for time taken to respond to letters and emails from hon. Members; what the average time taken by his Department to respond to such letters and emails is; and how many such letters and emails received between 1 January and 30 September 2015 remained unanswered after eight weeks.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 15 December 2015



Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers aim to respond to all correspondence from Honourable Members within 20 working days of receipt. However, due to the complex nature of certain items of correspondence, it is not always possible to meet this deadline.FCO Ministers responded to around 81 per cent of correspondence from parliamentarians between 1 January and 30 September 2015 within 20 working days. During this period, FCO Ministers sent a total of 5702 letters to Members of Parliament, Peers and Members of the Public.Detailed information on the average time taken to respond to correspondence is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Torture

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department's Policy paper, UN Human Rights Council: United Kingdom 2017-2019 candidate, published on 9 December 2015, for what reason reference to the prevention of torture included in previous candidature policy papers was omitted from that policy paper.

Mr David Lidington: Our UN pledges reflect our enduring commitment to promoting universal human rights. Our work to prevent torture globally is intrinsic to this. Our pledges renew the UK’s commitment to encourage the ratification and implementation of core UN human rights instruments - this includes the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and its Optional Protocol. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has said, “torture is always wrong”. We continue to call on all states to set up meaningful national preventative mechanisms to put an end to all use of torture and remain committed to torture prevention work globally as evidenced by the launch of the new edition of the Torture Reporting Handbook on 24 September.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK: Redcar

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when concerns were first raised with his Department over the financial viability of SSI in Redcar.

Anna Soubry: SSI UK had been in financial difficulties ever since it reopened the Redcar plant in 2012. This is a company that unfortunately made significant losses. In 2012, it lost £275million. In 2013, it lost £193.5million. In 2014, it lost £81million. And up to the end of June in 2015, it had lost £92.5m

Living Wage

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) what representations he has received on and (b) whether his Department plans to incentivise employers to offer the National Living Wage.

Nick Boles: From 1 April 2016 every employer is required by law to pay the new statutory National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 25 and above.

Sports Direct: Conditions of Employment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations his Department has received on working practices at Sports Direct; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the compliance of working conditions and practices at that company with employment standards.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will investigate recent reports on working practices and conditions at Sports Direct.

Nick Boles: The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills is not able to comment on the affairs of any individual or employer. However, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, which oversees compliance with the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations and HMRC which enforces compliance with the National Minimum Wage, follow-up every complaint that they receive in these areas. They also undertake targeted risk-based enforcement in sectors where there is the greatest risk of non-compliance.Workers can call the ACAS helpline for free and confidential advice about their rights and entitlements. If they want to make a complaint, they can do so in complete confidence –their anonymity will be protected throughout the investigation. Their website address is www.acas.org.uk. They have a national public helpline, 0300 123 1100. The helpline is open 8.00 am to 8.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday.

Corruption

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans to publish the results of its consultation on UK Export Finance's anti-bribery and corruption policy.

Anna Soubry: The Government’s Response to the consultation relating to UK Export Finance’s anti-bribery and corruption policy is expected to be published early in the New Year.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to review its automotive strategy for growth and sustainability, published in July 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Automotive Council will lead a review of the Automotive Industrial Strategy in the first half of 2016, to take stock of progress since its publication in July 2013 and to confirm future priorities.

Department for International Development

Nigeria: Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department takes to ensure that UK funding to Nigeria reaches the people most in need.

Mr Nick Hurd: To ensure UK aid reaches the most vulnerable recipients, leaving no one behind, we work with implementing partners who have a strong track record of prioritising assistance to those most in need. DFID independently monitors all its programmes and aid impact is also reviewed by The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI).

Developing Countries: Older People

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to protect the welfare of vulnerable older people in developing countries.

Mr Nick Hurd: Age features as part of our efforts to leave no one behind and in country level analyses as a key factor in understanding poverty.Older people have been specifically included in the Sustainable Development Goals on ending hunger, creating sustainable cities and communities and the means of implementation. As well as this, the requirement to provide disaggregated data to evidence progress against the Sustainable Development Goals will ensure that governments and development agencies can identify those at risk of being left behind and design programmes to lift them out of poverty. The UK was a key player in achieving these goals.Many DFID programmes reach and include older people, for example on health systems strengthening, eye care, or specific programmes for the poorest including supporting slum dwellers in Tanzania, or supporting widows resulting from the genocide in Rwanda. DFID has also supported Governments to establish social pensions for older people to ensure that they do not live in poverty.Finally, DFID also continues to fund a number of age-specific development programmes which are delivered by Civil Society Organisations in some of the world’s poorest communities to ensure that older people are not left behind.

Syria: Refugees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has provided to (a) Turkey, (b) Lebanon and (c) assist with the effect of the refugee crisis in Syria in those countries in each year since 2011-12.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.12 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. In total, we have allocated £304 million to projects in Lebanon and £34 million to projects in Turkey since the start of our response in February 2012. These figures include funding spent by partners since financial year 2011/2012 and allocations made for financial year 2015/2016 and beyond.The UK prioritises its assistance according to where needs are greatest and most unmet, and the capacity of the host country to absorb refugees. The UK, like other donors, has therefore prioritised support to Lebanon and Jordan, where the number of refugees is much higher as a percentage of the population than in Turkey and Egypt. For example, Syrian refugees in Lebanon constitute a quarter of the pre-crisis population.By the end of June 2015, UK support in the region (Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt) had provided over 4.8 million food rations, each of which feeds one person for one month; access to clean water for over 980,000 people (peak month); medical consultations for over 471,000 people; and support to over 127,000 people through agriculture and livelihoods interventions.The table below provides a breakdown of the funding spent by partners as part of projects in Lebanon and Turkey since 2011/2012.DFID Funding for Humanitarian/Development Activities in Lebanon and Turkey (Excluding funding to the Conflict Security and Stabilisation Fund) Financial YearLebanonTurkey2011/2012£0£02012/2013£11,667,000£3,252,0002013/2014£72,127,000£11,051,0002014/2015£61,992,000£9,800,000In financial year 2015/16, DFID has an operational plan budget of £94 million for projects in Lebanon and £10 million for projects in Turkey (excluding funding to the Conflict, Security and Stabilisation Fund).

*No heading*

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding and other resources her Department has provided for Syrian refugee camps.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the Syria crisis, of which £559 million has been allocated to support refugees in the region and vulnerable host communities. The vast majority of refugees in the region live in host communities rather than camps.

*No heading*

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on humanitarian assistance in (a) Syria and (b) neighbouring countries receiving Syrian refugees in the last two years.

Justine Greening: In the financial year 2014/15, the UK spent just under £150 million in humanitarian assistance inside Syria and around £125 million in the surrounding region. This has provided lifesaving support and helped ensure Syrian children can remain in education.

*No heading*

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of Overseas Development Aid her Department used to tackle the refugee crisis in the last 12 months; and how much her Department plans to allocate in future years to tackling that situation.

Justine Greening: My department has contributed nearly £16 million for the refugee crisis in Europe this year to date. In the long term we are focussed on using the UK’s aid budget to support refugees to have a viable option to stay where they are by tackling the root causes of migration.

*No heading*

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated to support resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has agreed to fund the ODA-eligible costs of the Syria refugee resettlement scheme for this financial year - discussions are ongoing to determine the precise amount necessary. From next year ODA funding for the scheme will be transferred directly from Treasury to the Home Office.

*No heading*

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to continue to invest in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK is currently reviewing all core contributions through the Multilateral Aid Review. We are committed to remaining a world leader in tackling global diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We will continue to invest in the Global Fund, which has saved 17 million lives.

*No heading*

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the international aid budget she plans to allocate to support communities managing the consequences of climate change in each of the next five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Prime Minister has announced that the government will provide £5.8 billion from the official development assistance budget over the next five years. This will support the Paris Climate Summit outcome and help the most vulnerable countries protect themselves from the effects of climate change and drive clean economic growth.

*No heading*

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UN assesses that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is a protracted protection crisis with humanitarian consequences. According to the UN, Palestinians in the OPTs face a range of serious threats including threats to life, liberty and security, destruction of homes and other property, forced displacement, and restrictions on freedom of movement and access to livelihoods.

HM Treasury

Tonnage Tax

Ian Mearns: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) company groups and (b) vessels qualified for the tonnage tax scheme in each year since 2008-09.

Mr David Gauke: The table below shows the number of tonnage tax groups and vessels that have reported tonnage tax profits in each year since 2008. The latest data available are for 2013.YearTonnage tax groupsVessels2008801,1902009801,0702010801,0802011751,0502012751,1402013701,080Notes:Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Tonnage Tax

Ian Mearns: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what total (a) gross and (b) net revenue has been collected by HM Revenue and Customs from companies in the tonnage tax scheme since 2000-01.

Mr David Gauke: The table below shows estimated tax liabilities due to tonnage tax for each year from 2000-01 to 2013-14 (the latest year for which data are currently available):TaxTax LiabilitiesYear£m Rounded2000-011.42001-022.32002-032.92003-043.12004-053.42005-063.92006-074.32007-084.32008-094.42009-104.62010-114.62011-124.42012-134.22013-143.6 Notes: 1. The latest data for 2013/14 are provisional and may be subject to change.

Money Laundering

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce the incidence of money-laundering in the UK.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government's Anti-Money Laundering regime has a clear aim: to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation.In Europe, we worked hard during the negotiation of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive to encourage European partners to match our level of ambition in combatting money laundering. The Directive was formally adopted in June 2015 and it will be transposed into UK law by June 2017. The Government plans to publish a consultation on the changes early next year. The consultation will run for a full 12 weeks. We will consult on areas where the Directive gives us options or discretion on how we transpose its provisions.Domestically, HM Treasury and Home Office have worked closely together to draw up the UK’s first National Risk Assessment (NRA) of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, which was published on 15 October 2015. The NRA is the next step in ensuring that our anti-money laundering regime is robust, proportionate and responsive to emerging threats. The NRA found that while the UK’s response to money laundering and terrorist financing risks is well developed, more could be done to strengthen the UK’s anti-money laundering regime. The Treasury and Home Office are working together on a comprehensive Action Plan to address these issues, to ensure that the UK continues to lead the global fight against illicit financial flows.

Income Tax: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the new income tax powers for Wales announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review to be available to Welsh Ministers.

Greg Hands: The Secretary of State for Wales, in consultation with Treasury Ministers, is discussing the details of the necessary legislative changes with a range of stakeholders.

VAT: Cemeteries

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to obtain a reduction or removal of VAT on children's headstones and planters in cemeteries; and if he will donate the proceeds of such VAT to charities aiding parents and other family members of children who have died.

Mr David Gauke: The goods and services to which the government may apply a reduced rate of VAT are set out in Annex III of the Principal VAT Directive.When the UK joined the European Community, the government successfully negotiated for zero rates on certain goods and services such as children's clothing, most foods and the construction of new housing. However, EU VAT rules do not provide for the introduction of any new zero rates, or the extension of our existing ones, without the unanimous agreement of all 28 Member States.

Financial Services: Advisory Services

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the provisions in the Financial Conduct Authority handbook IPRU-INV sch13 which allows independent financial advisers and insurers to retrospectively exclude failed schemes from an IFA's professional indemnity insurance.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials occasionally receive representations on regulatory issues.As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Science: Finance

Carol Monaghan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to ring-fence the capital and resource elements of the science budget settlement announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Greg Hands: Total science resource spending of £4.7 billion will be protected in real terms for the rest of the Parliament.Government has also made a long term science capital commitment of £6.9 billion between 2015-2021 to support the UK’s world-class research base.

Financial Services: Compensation

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last met the Financial Conduct Authority to discuss how its uses its powers under section 382 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to compel a registered firm to compensate investors for losses incurred as a result of that firm's breaches of its statutory obligations; and what the outcome of that meeting was.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Financial Services: Compensation

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of and outcomes achieved by (a) Connaught Fund investors and (b) other investors who have sought payment from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme when their independent financial adviser has declared a default on an award of compensation by the Financial Ombudsman's Service; and if he will publish that assessment.

Harriett Baldwin: Her Majesty’s Treasury does not keep records of cases of investors who have sought compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.The Honourable Member should contact the Financial Services Compensation Scheme directly with inquiries relating to compensation claims.

Investment Trusts

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is satisfied by the proportion of Connaught Fund investors who received the full level of compensation awarded to them.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of investors who lost money in the collapse of the Connaught Fund and (b) their combined loss.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which designated professional bodies have professional indemnity insurance requirements compliant with clause 2.3 of the Financial Conduct Authority handbook PRU-INV sch13.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is satisfied that the Financial Conduct Authority's minimum professional indemnity insurance requirements for Independent Financial Advisers provide investors with adequate protection for medium and long-term investments.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he became aware that Connaught Fund investors pursuing compensation awarded by the Financial Ombudsman Service are having their professional indemnity claims rejected because the Financial Conduct Authority handbook IPRU-INV sch13 allows independent financial advisers to operate with insurer-imposed restrictions on their insurance that exclude schemes the adviser had already recommended to clients.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Services Authority used powers under Section 382 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to compel a registered firm to compensative investors for losses incurred as a result of that firm's breaches of its statutory obligations; and whether he is satisfied that the legislation is being implemented effectively.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he was first told that Capital Financial Managers Limited knew by September 2009 that investors' funds were exposed to risks not provided for in the information memorandum for the Connaught Fund.

Harriett Baldwin: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Investment Trusts

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will encourage the Financial Conduct Authority to bring its investigation into the Connaught Fund to an early conclusion; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The FCA is an independent non-governmental body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry within the framework of statutory objectives and duties agreed by Parliament. Although the Treasury is responsible for setting the legal framework, oversight of business practicesis a matter for the FCA Board.The Government appreciates the real difficulties and the serious implications the Connaught issue has had for investors and is following the situation closely.

Financial Services: Advisory Services

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last received advice on the adequacy of the Financial Conduct Authority's requirements for professional indemnity to underpin advice given by independent financial advisers; and what action he took in response to that advice.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers regularly receive advice on regulatory issues.As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of such advice.

Financial Services: Compensation

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on differences in the (a) criteria used by the Financial Ombudsman's Service and Financial Services Compensation Scheme to determine cases and (b) determinations reached by those bodies.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials receive regular representations on a wide range of issues.As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Revenue and Customs: ICT

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to procure the replacement for the HM Revenue and Customs IT Aspire contract; what consultation there will be with HM Revenue and Customs staff and their representatives; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is making significant progress in preparing for the end of the Aspire IT contract in 2017. In August, HMRC announced that the changes it has planned will ultimately enable the Department to make savings of up to 24 per cent on its £800m annual IT budget by 2020-21, while maintaining consistent delivery of services to customers.Through its Building Our Future programme, HMRC is continuing to engage with its people and trade unions about the way in which it is transforming, including the way in which it is equipping operations with the modern IT services and platforms they need to run effectively. Currently, there are no plans to hold a formal consultation on the end of the Aspire contract.

Carers: VAT

Julian Sturdy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the VAT status of care providers to zero-rated in order to assist them in meeting the cost of complying with the national living wage.

Mr David Gauke: Care services provided by certain bodies are subject to a mandatory VAT exemption under EU VAT rules.EU VAT rules do not allow the introduction of any new zero rates without the unanimous agreement of all 28 Member States on the basis of a proposal from the Commission.

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy that the changes to interest rate relief on buy-to-let mortgages announced in the Summer Budget 2015 apply to purchasers within a limited company structure.

Mr David Gauke: The restriction to finance cost relief brings the rate of relief available for individual landlords more in line with that of corporate landlords.

Charities: Wakefield

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many charities registered in Wakefield constituency have claimed back Gift Aid on small cash donations using the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme since that scheme's inception.

Mr David Gauke: Since the scheme’s inception in April 2013, 12 charities that fall within Wakefield postcodes have claimed back Gift Aid on their small cash donations.

Sports Direct: Minimum Wage

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to investigate whether employees of Sports Direct are paid the minimum wage.

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HM Revenue and Customs will investigate enforcement of the minimum wage at Sports Direct.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously.Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews every complaint that is referred to them by the Acas helpline. Additionally, HMRC collate and analyse data from various sources in order to identify those employers who are potentially more likely to be underpaying National Minimum Wage, so that they can undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.For reasons of confidentiality, HMRC do not divulge information relating to the affairs of an individual or company or confirm whether or not there is an ongoing enquiry.

Air Passenger Duty

Mike Kane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the current proportion of air passenger duty revenues which are raised from Manchester Airport and (b) the potential effect on that proportion of air passenger duty in Scotland being reduced by 50 per cent.

Damian Hinds: Air Passenger Duty is payable by airlines and not on a per airport basis. Therefore HMRC does not collect the data to produce a reliable estimate.The government is currently undertaking a consultation into options to support regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution. We are carefully considering the evidence we have received from stakeholders and will respond in due course.

Tax Avoidance

Richard  Arkless: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the EU Commissioner on Competition on plans for recovering unpaid taxes and preventing multinationals avoiding tax.

Mr David Gauke: The UK is supportive of Commission action against illegal state aid, including recovery where illegal state aid has been found. This is an important part of ensuring that the single market works effectively and on the basis of fair competition.

Birmingham Airport

Ian Austin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of halving Air Passenger Duty in Scotland on Birmingham Airport.

Damian Hinds: The government is currently undertaking a consultation into options to support regional airports from the impacts of air passenger duty devolution. We are carefully considering the evidence we have received from stakeholders and will respond in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Financial Services and Markets Act 2000

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for dishonest concealment of material information under Section 397 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 there have been since 2008.

Andrew Selous: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for offences under section 397 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, from 2011 to 2014, can be viewed in the table.Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under Section 397 Financial Services and Markets Act, England and Wales, 2011 to 2014 (1)(2)2011201220132014-24-'-' = Nil(1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQ 19198 Offences under this section were recorded under an offence grouping, which it is only possible to separately analyse from 2011 onwards.

Prisoners: Mothers

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received from (a) charities, (b) lobby groups, (c) experts, (d) social workers and (e) law professionals on the treatment of female prisoners with young children.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Christmas

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent from the public purse on Christmas parties across the prison estate in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: This information is not held centrally.There are no centralised funds available for Christmas parties within the prison estate.

Prisons: Christmas

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much will be spent from the public purse on Christmas parties (a) in each prison and (b) across the prison estate in 2015.

Andrew Selous: There will be no Christmas parties held in any prison across the prison estate in 2015.There are no public funds or opportunities provided to facilitate Christmas parties for prisoners.

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry Review

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on when Lady Justice Macur's Review of Sir Ronald Waterhouse's inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the former Gwynedd and Clwyd Council areas of North Wales between 1974 and 1996 is likely to be published.

Caroline Dinenage: On 10 December Lady Justice Macur delivered her report to the Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Wales.   It is being considered as a matter of urgency with a view to publication as soon as possible.   The Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Wales are very grateful to Lady Justice Macur for her work on this important matter over the last three years.

Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of whether there has been a reduction in the number of claims brought to the courts as a result of the provisions of the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people whom the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015 has encouraged and enabled to play a more active role in civil society.

Dominic Raab: The Act only came into force on 13 April 2015. As is normal practice, a formal assessment of its impact may be carried out after three to five years.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what provision the Electoral Commission has made to ensure that there is no inappropriate election spending on the EU referendum during the 2016 May elections.

Mr Gary Streeter: Political parties and non-party campaigners intending to spend money on campaigning at the elections taking place across the UK in May 2016 must adhere to spending limits set out in law during the regulated period for these polls. The Commission will provide advice and guidance throughout this period so that campaigners are aware that any spending on EU referendum related campaign activity that would be caught by the rules during the regulated period for the May 2016 polls are properly accounted for.The rules on campaign spending for the EU referendum are not currently in force as the government has yet to make the regulations that specify when they will apply. Should the regulated period for the EU referendum overlap with that for the May 2016 polls, we will ensure that our guidance clearly sets out the rules that must be followed to comply with both regimes. All of the Commission’s guidance is published on its website when it is complete.The Commission is monitoring the campaigning activities of political parties, non-party campaigners and potential EU referendum campaigners so that it can identify any emerging issues and offer advice and guidance to those it regulates or, if necessary and appropriate, use its enforcement and sanctioning powers where the rules are not followed.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Playing Fields

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what statutory requirements are placed on local authorities to produce a playing pitch strategy; and within what timeframe such authorities are required to produce such plans.

Tracey Crouch: Local planning authorities are required to follow national planning policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.Sport England is a statutory consultee on all planning applications affecting playing fields, and demands that developers prove their applications will improve or safeguard sports provision. Landowners, including councils, are required to consult Sport England on any proposed development that would affect or lead to the loss of a sports playing field.Sport England objects to all applications unless the developer can prove it will improve.The latest figures, compiled by Sport England which works to safeguard playing fields for community use, show that 92 per cent of all resolved planning applications involving a playing field in 2013/14 resulted in improved or secured facilities.

Internet: Data Protection

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (a) what obligations exist on search engine providers registered as data controllers with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (including those with offices outside the jurisdiction) to ensure that any data processing by them complies with the Data Protection Principles and (b) what steps the ICO (i) has taken and (ii) is planning to take to ensure that such principles are complied with.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Search engines are data controllers if they process information about living, identifiable people, for example within a search result based on a person’s name.Data controllersmust comply with the data protection principles, for example by explaining to customers how their information is collected and used. Although the main search engines are international operations, if they have an establishment in the UK, then their activities will be subject to UK data protection law.The ICO ensures thatdata controllerscomply with the lawfor example by investigating complaints and carrying out enforcement or liaison work. The ICO will continue to engage with the search engines to ensure that the right balance is struck between online access to information and individuals’ privacy rights.

Gaming Machines

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the next Triennial Review of Gaming Machine Stake and Prize Limits will begin.

Tracey Crouch: The government, along with Gambling Commission colleagues, are in the process of evaluating the regulations which came into force in April this year which required customers in bookmakers to interact either over the counter or via account based play in order to stake over £50. The last triennial review of stakes and prizes was in 2013, and the findings of the evaluation will inform the timing of the start of the next review.

Greyhound Racing: Taxation

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to establish a statutory levy on greyhound racing to help support the welfare of retired greyhounds.

Tracey Crouch: I recently wrote to the betting industry to underline the importance that the government attaches to the existing voluntary agreements between betting and greyhound racing through which funding is provided towards areas including animal welfare.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is currently undertaking a review of the effectiveness of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010. In addition, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Parliamentary Select Committee is undertaking an inquiry into greyhound welfare to feed into Defra’s review. My Department has submitted written evidence to EFRA and we will want to consider any recommendations put forward by them as part of Defra’s review of the 2010 Regulations.

Institute for Coding

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on setting up the Institute for Coding; and how applications for the £20 million funding can be made.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My officials are working with officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on proposals for the development of the new Institute. Further details on the competition will be announced in the new year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Homelessness

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that conditionality requirements for jobseekers in receipt of universal credit are eased during periods when an individual claimant is homeless.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that conditionality requirements for jobseekers who are in receipt of universal credit, as set out in each individual's Claimant Commitment, take into account whether the individual may be homeless.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 15 December 2015



Work Coaches regularly discuss a range of issues and circumstances with claimants. Where homelessness is raised, and is a barrier to employment, work coaches can temporarily lift or vary work search and availability requirements to help support in finding accommodation. Conditionality requirements reflect reasonable expectations given the claimants circumstance. These are recorded in the Claimant Commitment and regularly reviewed.

Employment Schemes

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17164, which employers have been sub-contracted to deliver community work placements by each of those prime providers.

Priti Patel: Prime Providers may use subcontractors to help source Community Work Placements. The current Community Work Placement sub-contractors working for prime providers are as follows:G4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited: CPA2 – East MidlandsAcorn TrainingAcorn Training ConsultantsBabingtonFramework HousingLearn DirectWork PaysCygnus Consulting LimitedJJ Training (UK) LimitedG4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited: CPA3 – London WestATNCygnus Consulting LimitedUrban FuturesIxionPinnacle PeopleG4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited: CPA4 – London EastATNIxionFaith RegenResources Plus (Bexley)Urban FuturesPinnacle PeopleAdvanced Personnel Management Group (UK) Limited: CPA5 – North EastAcumenDISCEscape Family SupportGroundwork North East and CumbriaGroundwork South Tyneside and NewcastleSunderland North Community Business CentreTyne Metropolitan CollegeTraining and Advice Services LtdG4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited: CPA6 – North WestBootstrapThe Work CompanyLearn DirectGroundworkLearndirect Limited: CPA8 - ScotlandAberdeen FoyerArgyll & Bute CouncilArgyll TrainingCEIS AyrshireDundee & Angus CollegeFife CollegeMidlothian CouncilIronworksPulteneytown Peoples ProjectLifeskills Central LimitedConnect Community TrustG4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited: CPA9 – South EastLearn DirectPCMICygnus Consulting LimitedWorking Links (Employment) Limited: CPA13 - WalesGroundworkACT LearnaboutBethany TrainingTai CalonGrow Enterprise Wales (RCT Homes)North Wales TrainingNewport City CouncilCornelly and District Development TrustWhitehead RossCrest CooperativeMelin HomesAdvanced Personnel Management Group (UK) Limited: CPA15 – West MidlandsSarina Russo Job ActionShropshire CouncilStoke CollegeStoke CouncilInterserve Working Futures Limited: CPA16 – Yorkshire and the HumberHalifax Opportunities TrustAim 2 LearnInterserve Working Futures Limited: CPA17 – Yorkshire and the HumberGroundwork SheffieldPhoenix EnterprisesG4S Regional Management (UK&I) Limited: CPA18 - Yorkshire and the HumberPinnacle PeopleJJ TrainingWork Company

Housing Benefit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.126 of Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what funding for Discretionary Housing Payments he plans to provide to local authorities in addition to that announced in Summer Budget 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: In the Autumn Statement it was announced that additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding will be made available to Local Authorities, including those in supported accommodation. A further £70 million will be made available on top of the Summer Budget announcement across 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Help to Work Scheme: Expenditure

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent in total on the Help to Work scheme to date; and what estimate he has made of the cumulative total cost of Help to Work over the duration of the current contracts.

Priti Patel: The Help to Work scheme contains a number of initiatives and programmes, delivered through Jobcentre Plus and Contracted Employment Provision.It is not possible to identify the costs of Help to Work activities separately from the total expenditure in Jobcentre Plus.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Written Statement of 10 December 2015, HCWS377, on universal credit and local authorities, how he will define reasonable efforts to redeploy staff.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 15 December 2015



We will work with Local Authorities to manage the impact of these changes in a way which minimises the need for any redundancies. Where this does not prove possible, after the exercise of all reasonable efforts to redeploy people, the Department has given Local Authorities a commitment that we will meet their costs of any residual redundancies. Reasonable efforts will vary according to the circumstance of the Local Authority.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the transition arrangements for women who have seen their pensionable age increase with limited transition.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 November 2015 to Nick Thomas-Symonds (Torfaen), Question UIN 16901.

Long Term Unemployed People: Mid Dorset and North Poole

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is providing to young people who are classified as long-term unemployed in Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency.

Priti Patel: Since March 2012 and throughout the recession DWP has provided additional support, over and above the standard Jobcentre Plus offer, to young people that has included:Extra advisor time to improve job search skills;A referral to the careers service within 3 months;Work experience placements;Referral to a sector based work academy place (training, work experience and a guaranteed interview).Each young person on benefit receives support tailored to their needs, for example referrals to Apprenticeships, to other jobs, traineeships, skills training and work experience.We are committed to providing every opportunity to encourage young people to either earn or learn. For example, on 27 January 2016, Poole Jobcentre have organised a sector based work academy Jobs Fair event for 18-24 year olds with employers.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Written Statement of 10 December 2015, HCWS377, on universal credit and local authorities, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people employed by local authorities to administer housing benefit, (b) the number of such employees likely to be made redundant as a result of the universal credit roll-out, (c) the total cost to the public purse of such redundancies, (d) the total number of staff that will be required to administer universal credit at a local level once the roll-out is complete and (e) the number of people currently employed by his Department in that capacity.

Priti Patel: Holding answer received on 15 December 2015



The Local Authority associations estimate up to 5000 people are, in full or in part, engaged in delivering housing services and some of this work will continue in Local Authorities. There are over a million jobs in the Local Authority sector so with turnover we would expect opportunities for redeployment over the next 3-5 years as housing benefit for working age people is gradually phased out. We expect the number of people at risk of redundancy to be very small, but where Local Authorities are not able to redeploy people, we have said the Government will meet the costs of compulsory redundancy. Universal Credit will be delivered locally through our existing network of Jobcentres supported by a number of Service Centres. The number of staff employed will be determined by the number of people on Universal Credit, itself subject to the prevailing economic situation at the time. Our current estimate for the combined workforce in 2021 is 34,000

Social Security Benefits: Dumfries and Galloway

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits claimants in Dumfries and Galloway were sanctioned between the months of October and December for each year from 2010 until the most recent date for which figures are available.

Priti Patel: The information requested, up to 30 June 2015, is published and available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/:Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications of differences in the administration of universal credit amongst the different local authorities involved in the Universal Support Delivered Locally pilot programme for the effectiveness of that pilot.

Priti Patel: Assessment of the Universal Support trials is currently underway. The final evaluation will be published in late Spring 2016. The Trials will enable us to ensure we follow the most effective delivery approach.

Unemployment: Older People

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to assist unemployed people over the age of 50 back in to work; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 November 2015 to Question UIN16531.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Deployment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is sufficient lift capacity to airlift the two new strike brigades to theatres of operation.

Penny Mordaunt: As part of the SDSR and our plans for Joint Force 2025 we are investing more than £178 billion in buying and maintaining equipment over the next decade. This includes the modernisation and investment in our air transport fleet which will include the C17, A400M, Voyager and C130J platforms. We are still developing our plans for how the Army's new strike brigades will be deployed, but part of the extra capability we expect them to offer is the ability to deploy at pace by air, sea or to self-deploy over land.

Astute Class Submarines

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports have been made on the assessed material state of HMS (a) Astute, (b) Ambush and (c) Artful.

Mr Philip Dunne: A range of reports are generated on the material state of all Royal Navy submarines. Given the broad range of reporting that is undertaken and the large range of highly complex engineering systems reported on, this information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Trident: Electronic Warfare

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the threat posed to the Trident nuclear weapon system by cyber-attacks; and what steps he is taking to ensure that system is secure against such attacks.

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on ensuring the Trident nuclear weapon system from cyber-attacks in each of the last three years; and how much he plans to spend in each of the next five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence audits the integrity of the UK's nuclear deterrent regularly for all threats and hazards and acts to ensure that it maintains the highest possible standards. The Strategic Defence and Security Review acknowledges the growing cyber threat and the importance of investing in cyber security across all of our capabilities. The Government has invested £860 million in new technology and capabilities since 2011 and will invest £1.9 billion over the next five years in protecting the UK from cyber attack and developing our sovereign capabilities in cyberspace. Our approach to protecting Defence capabilities against and mitigating the impact of cyber attacks spans technical, organisational, procedural and physical measures benefiting many different systems and networks, and investment is integrated across these measures. Submarines operate in isolation by design, and this contributes to their cyber resilience. I will not discuss further details for reasons of safeguarding national security.

Reserve Forces: Scotland

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reserves were recruited in Scotland in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

Mr Julian Brazier: The information is not held in the format requested. However, the table below shows, where available, the estimated number of reserves recruited in Scotland in the last three Financial Years.ServiceFINANCIAL YEAR (1 APRIL TO 31 MARCH)2012-132013-142014-15Maritime ReserveSee note80100Army Reserve480300550Royal Air Force Reserve See note70110Note – information not available.The Future Reserves 2020 Volunteer Reserve population includes mobilised Volunteer Reserves, High Readiness Reserves, and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment.The figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work is not necessarily where they live.

Syria: Military Intervention

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evaluation his Department made of the number and location of civilian workers who work at the al-Omar oil field in Syria before ordering Royal Air Force planes to bomb that facility; and how many civilians have been killed as a result of UK military action on targets in Syria to date.

Michael Fallon: UK air strikes are conducted in accordance with Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law.The risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties are assessed and mitigated based on intelligence and the use of precision guided weapons. There have been no reports so far of civilian casualties as a result of UK air strikes in Syria.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his evidence to the Defence Committee on UK military operations in Syria and Iraq on 1 December 2015, HC 657, Q36, if he will publish a breakdown of the groups comprising the estimated 70,000 fighters in Syria described by the UK government as moderate.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 1 December 2015 to Question 18014.



Syria  Armed Conflict
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Type 45 Destroyers

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Type 45 destroyers are in Portsmouth dockyards; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: All six Type 45 Destroyers are based in HM Naval Base Portsmouth. One is currently in refit, while the remaining five are in the operational cycle.

HMS Brocklesby

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether (a) HMS Brocklesby M33 mine sweeper will be refitted at Portsmouth naval dockyards and (b) that refitting will include new propulsion capability; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: As part of the Royal Navy's continual examination of its resources and operational priorities, HMS Brocklesby's docking period and refitting of her propulsion capability has been deferred.

Type 26 Frigates

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) when and (b) where the Type 26 frigates will be built; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend, Earl Howe to the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead, in the House of Lords to Question HL 3905 on 3 December 2015.As explained in the White Paper 'National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cmd 9161)', the T26 GCS programme will be crucial to the future of the UK's warship-building industry and form a central part of the national shipbuilding strategy which is to be published in 2016. This strategy will confirm the arrangements for the build programme of the T26 GCS.



Type 26 Frigates
(Word Document, 17.53 KB)

Type 45 Destroyers

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Type 45 refits will commence; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Refits, or deep maintenance periods as they are also known, of the Type 45 Destroyers have already begun.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral statement of the Prime Minister of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1495, whether the estimate of 70,000 moderate Sunnis includes (a) the Islamic Front and (b) Ahrar-al-Sham.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence of Lieutenant General Gordon Messenger to the Defence Select Committee on 1 December 2015, Q31, HC657, how many opposition fighters on the spectrum of extremism are included in the 70,000 estimate.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Julian Lewis) on 1 December 2015 to Question 18014.



Syria Armed Conflict
(Word Document, 15.46 KB)

Home Office

Home Office: Public Expenditure

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising in real terms in each year since 2010-11.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 16 November 2015



The Home Office publishes monthly spending data for temporary agency staff, consultants and non-payroll staff. This information is available online, and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-2015 >Transparency Data was introduced by the coalition government in 2010, to enable the public to hold the Government to account, with the aim of reducing administration costs. The information available online through Transparency Data includes departmental spending on temporary staff, consultants and non-payroll staff. The previous administration did not compile or collate that information, and it is therefore not possible to provide comparative figures, or to establish what was previously spent, on the same basis.The Home Office has reduced administration expenditure budgets by 50 per cent since 2010-11 in real terms. The Home Office is committed to a further 30 per cent reduction by 2019-20 over Spending Review 2015 period.

Offenders: Deportation

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of foreign nationals convicted of a crime in the UK were deported to their country of origin in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) who have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to a period of imprisonment and subsequently referred to Immigration Enforcement for consideration of removal action.Whilst we aim to deport foreign national offenders at the earliest opportunity not all of those referred to the Home Office will meet the deportation threshold, some may later be confirmed as British or exempt from Immigration Control and some will be successful at appeal. Removal may also be delayed as some offenders will repeatedly refuse to comply with the deportation and documentation process, deliberately seek to flout the system to disrupt our efforts to deport them or attempt to lodge multiple appeals. Factors such as these can lead to deportation being delayed.In May 2013, a new system was introduced for recording and monitoring all FNO referrals, even where an offender did not meet the deportation threshold. Prior to this, referrals of those who did not meet deportation criteria were not routed through a central system so this data was not centrally recorded. The introduction of this system therefore shows an increase in the referral numbers from 2012/13 onwards.Financial yearNumber of referrals to Immigration EnforcementNumber of removals2010/116,4525,3672011/127,3264,5392012/136,8744,7202013/1410,7865,1182014/1510,4615,2772015/16 (to Sept 2015)5,2622,855The National Offender Management Service operate on a nationality self declaration basis, which means that not all those referred for action will be in scope for removal. Some offenders may later be confirmed as British nationals or exempt from immigration control.The removals shown are not a representative proportion of those referred in the same period. Those referred will not always be removable in the same year due to sentence length. The removals data will include those who have been referred prior to the period shown in the table.Please note that figures prior to the 2011/12 financial year precede the implementation of a later reporting application and as such were not subject to the same level of data assurance for data recorded after 2011/12.

Vetting: Dorset

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for the return of disclosure and barring service documentation for applications made by people in East Dorset.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to streamline Disclosure and Barring Service checks; and what consideration she has given to the use of volunteers in this service.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting times are for the return of Disclosure and Barring Service documentation for applicants from Dorset.

Karen Bradley: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.

Visas: Married People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 17662, if she will recompense postal applicants for a spousal visa whose application is not determined within eight weeks; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 14 December 2015



The Home Office does not intend to recompense all spousal visa applicants whose application was not determined within the 8 week postal service standard. The published service standard timeframes for spousal visa applications commences at the date of receipt, which is taken as the postal date marked on the application package and includes time taken for biometric enrolment.Spousal visa applications may be decided outside of normal service standards for a range of reasons including requests for further information from the applicant or when an application is complex. An application will be deemed complex when it falls to be considered under Human Rights consideration beyond the original spousal route applied for. The applicant is normally advised when their application falls outside published service standards.

Terrorism: Arrests

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of those listed in table P.04 of the September 2015 Statistical Bulletin 04/15, Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes and stop and search, Great Britain, financial year ending 31 March 2015, were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of offences.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office does not hold the requested information on the number of persons in custody for terrorism-related offences and domestic extremism/separatism who were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of offences, broken down by self-declared religion.Table P.02 of the statistical bulletin ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes, and stop and search, Great Britain, quarterly update to September 2015’ contains statistics on the number of persons in custody for terrorism-related offences and domestic extremism/separatism by type of prisoner. This includes those who have been remanded, convicted, as well as deportation cases, broken down by self-defined ethnicity.

Overseas Students

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government's immigration policies on the number of international students enrolling in UK universities.

James Brokenshire: We have an excellent offer for international students who wish to study at our world-leading institutions and there remains no limit on the number who can do so. As a result, the UK remains the second most popular destination in the world for international higher education students, and our excellent universities continue to attract large volumes of overseas students.Annual visa applications from international students to study at British universities are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, with visa applications to our elite Russell Group universities up by 39 per cent since 2010.The most recent figures produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency also show a 6 per cent increase in the number of full-time non-EU new enrolments to UK higher education institutions between 2012/13 and 2013/14.

UK Border Force: Scotland

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the implications of its decision to remove border staff at the ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan for UK security.

James Brokenshire: The ferry crossings between Stranraer, Cairnryan and Northern Ireland are domestic routes and are therefore not subject to immigration border controls.Home Office Immigration Enforcement in Northern Ireland and Police Scotland work in close partnership to detect illegal migrants who are already in the UK and travelling on these ferries. Detections have increased year on year since the current partnership arrangement was introduced in 2011.

Terrorism

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the current threat from international terrorism to be downgraded from severe.

Mr John Hayes: The UK terrorism threat level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC). JTAC operates independently of Ministers and considers all relevant information to assess the threat from international terrorism. Its judgements are made on the basis of the latest intelligence, and it keeps the threat level under constant review.The current threat level is SEVERE, meaning that an attack is highly likely. Members of the public should remain alert to the danger of terrorism, but they should not let the fear of terrorism stop them from going about their day-to-day life as normal.

Asylum: Hotels

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date her Department has instructed SERCO to no longer house asylum seekers in hotels.

James Brokenshire: The use of hotels is permitted under the terms of the COMPASS contract as a contingency accommodation when usual accommodation cannot meet demand. The Home Office is clear that this is only ever acceptable in an emergency and providers must move clients into suitable accommodation quickly. No instruction has been given to Serco to cease use of hotels, however we and the housing providers are pursuing all options to reduce hotel use and put in place alternative contingency options.

Home Office: Wigan Council

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times her Department has met Wigan Council in 2015 to date.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last met Wigan Council.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visits her Department has made to Wigan in 2015 to date.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office meets regularly with local councils throughout the year on a number of different matters. A central record of all the meetings that are held is not maintained.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Public Expenditure

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he next plans to publish a Single Departmental Plan for his Department.

David Mundell: Single departmental plans for 17 Government Departments will be published in January 2016. The Scotland Office and other territorial offices are not required to produce single departmental plans.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Renewable Energy

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the financial value of the renewable energy sector supply chain.

Andrea Leadsom: A report on 'The size and performance of the UK low carbon economy’ published by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills contains estimates of turnover, gross value added (GVA), and the number of jobs supported by the low carbon sectors across the UK.1There are 269,800 people employed across all low carbon sectors in the UK, including generation of electricity, energy efficiency, vehicles, low carbon heat, and production of fuels.There were 68,100 people employed collectively in the renewable energy sector supply chains in 2013. The supply chain firms are estimated to have had a turnover of £24.5bn in 2013, adding £9.9bn of value to the UK economy.[1] BIS (March 2015), The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-economy-size-and-performance

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report published in December 2015 by the Global Carbon Project on trends in greenhouse gas emissions.

Andrea Leadsom: The Global Carbon Project Report 2015 sets out global CO2 emission trends from 1870 to 2015. The UK accounts for 1.2% of global emissions and remains committed to meeting our climate change target of an at least 80% emissions reduction by 2050. The UK has already made great progress towards that goal having reduced emissions by around 30% since 1990.In Paris, we reached an historic agreement, with the whole world committing to action which they are held to account on for the first time ever. This marks a clear turning point towards a sustainable and low carbon future. Countries will now have to come together regularly to review their climate plans and collectively ensure that the necessary action is being taken to tackle climate change.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) presentation and (b) other documentary contribution her Department has made to the World Climate Summit held in Paris alongside the UN COP21.

Andrea Leadsom: The important COP21 negotiations and related events did not allow time for representatives from the Department to attend the World Climate Summit event.

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Public Expenditure

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much overspend against original estimates within the levy control framework has arisen from variations in (a) performance of offshore wind, (b) levels between strike price and reference price and (c) variations in allocations feed in tariff payments for solar PV installations in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom: We do not break down published information on components of Levy Control Framework (LCF) spend to the level of detail requested, due to potential disclosure of commercially confidential information.On 25 November 2015, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published LCF projected spend of just under £9bn in 2020/21 (see Tables 1 and 2 below)1. Between the projections Government published in November 20142 and this forecast, we have undertaken analysis to make changes to many assumptions, including technology-specific factors (including offshore wind), fossil fuel prices and electricity demand3. Collectively, changes in these factors have all affected overall estimates of LCF spend. However, we do not provide published estimates of how much is attributable to each individual factor. DECC will publish a further update to its projections, including the underpinning assumptions, in 2016.   Annex ATable 1: OBR November 2015 main projections were as follows:Policy (£m, nominal prices)2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21RO3,8504,6155,3755,8556,0356,230FiTs1,3251,5151,7001,8802,0552,220CfDs152255451,0952,2252,805Total5,1906,3557,6208,83010,31511,255Figures are rounded to the nearest five million pounds. Totals may not sum due to rounding.Table 2: OBR November 2015 main projections in 2011/12 prices:£m, 2011/12 prices2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21RO3,3603,9904,5554,8204,8204,820FiTs1,1551,3101,4401,5501,6401,720CfDs152105009801,9502,415Total4,5305,5056,4957,3508,4158,955Figures are rounded to the nearest five million pounds. Totals may not sum due to rounding.[1] Note that OBR publishes figures in nominal terms, as opposed to our figures which are in 2011/12 real prices. Both sets of figures are attached at Annex A2 Annual Energy Statement, page 73, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371388/43586_Cm_8945_print_ready.pdf 3 Data on fossil fuel prices and electricity demand assumptions have recently been published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fossil-fuel-price-projections-2015 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2015 respectively.

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Public Expenditure

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what level of actual or projected overspend against original projections of expenditure under the Levy Control Framework she has identified for each year from 2014 to 2018; and in which of those years overspend has exceeded the 20 per cent headroom within the Levy Control Framework agreement between her Department and HM Treasury.

Andrea Leadsom: The Office for Budget Responsibility published updated projections on spending under the Levy Control Framework on 25 November:http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-november-2015/.

Climate Change Convention: Paris

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what form of transport she used to travel to the COP21 conference in Paris in December 2015; and for what reasons she used that form of transport.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State made two separate visits to the COP21 conference in Paris. For the first, she travelled out by train and returned by plane. For the second she travelled there and back by train.In accordance with the Ministerial Code, it was ensured that these were the most efficient and cost-effective options for the Secretary of State to meet her commitments at COP.

Carbon Sequestration: Industry

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will develop a carbon capture and storage strategy for energy intensive industries.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the role of carbon and storage in delivering the industrial 2050 decarbonation and energy efficiency roadmaps.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government's decision to withdraw £1 billion in funding from carbon capture and storage projects on the future of energy-intensive industries in the UK.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether support for energy-intensive industries  is part of the Northern Powerhouse agenda; and what assessment the Government has made of the importance of carbon capture and storage for the future of those industries.

Andrea Leadsom: The provision of ring-fenced capital support for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) was judged against other Government funding priorities as part of the Spending Review. Government has not taken the Spending Review decision lightly. The Government continues to view CCS as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors. Neither CCS Competition project proposed to capture CO2 from energy intensive industries.The detailed design and implementation of CCS policy changes have yet to be determined. The Industrial 2050 Decarbonisation and Energy Efficiency Roadmaps reports published in March 2015 identified a potential role for industrial CCS technologies in decarbonising the steel, oil refining, chemicals and cement sectors. DECC and BIS continue to engage with the energy intensive industries and academics to develop decarbonisation Action Plans by the end of 2016 as the second phase of this process.The Government remains committed to working with energy intensive industries including those in the Northern Powerhouse area. DECC provided £1million funding to Tees Valley Unlimited as part of the 2013 City Deal agreement to undertake an Industrial CCS feasibility study based on the chemicals and steel industry in the Teesside cluster and we continue to support that work. The devolution deal for Tees Valley, published in October this year, also included a commitment to explore how it can continue to develop its industrial CCS proposals.

Cabinet Office

Education: Assessments

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure equitable application of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 across all UK exam boards.

Matthew Hancock: The Government currently has no plans to alter the scope of the Freedom of Information Act in relation to exam boards. However the scope of the Act is kept under review.

Long Term Unemployed People: Mid Dorset and North Poole

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in Poole Unitary Authority area.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in the East Dorset District Council area.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in the Dorset County Council area.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in the Purbeck District Council area.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Long Term Unemployment
(PDF Document, 202.55 KB)

Henry VIII Clauses

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what Henry VIII powers were (a) enacted in legislation passed in the 2010 to 2015 Parliament and (b) since May 2015.

Mr Oliver Letwin: Each time the Government proposes a new delegated power in a Bill, it submits a memorandum to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee setting out the case for the power. These memoranda are published on Parliament's website.

Natural Resources

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will commission an assessment of the effect on the economy of resource insecurity.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Government’s Horizon Scanning Programme examines emerging trends and developments, such as those related to resource insecurity, that have the potential to lead to risks and opportunities for the UK. As part of this programme, Defra led a piece of work to assess risks to theUK economy from countries or companies restricting the supply of key resources. A summary of this work was published in Civil Service Quarterly in July 2014.Last year, the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee set up the Strategic Resources and Risks group to coordinate work on resource insecurity across Government. As part of its remit, this group considers risks and opportunities that resource insecurity poses to the UK economy.This work is being reflected in the current refresh of the Government’s National Security Risk Assessment. Domestic risks related to resource insecurity are also included in the UK’s National Risk Register.

Emergencies

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on civil contingencies of the policies announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Mr Oliver Letwin: My officials and I worked closely with departments and the Treasury in preparing for the spending review to ensure that crucial civil contingencies capabilities were maintained. The settlement outlined in the Autumn Statement strikes the right balance between protecting the public and communities and reducing the budget deficit.

Department for Education

Children's Play: Disability

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to help families with disabled children find appropriate play opportunities.

Edward Timpson: Play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is recognised in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.”Staff working in early years settings as early years educators and early years teachers are required to have an understanding different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. It is for individual schools and settings to provide opportunities for play for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs.Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness.

Children: Gun Sports

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage school children to participate in rifle shooting (a) sports and (b) as part of armed forces cadet activities.

Edward Timpson: Physical education (PE) is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum for maintained schools in England. It sets out the expectation that pupils should be provided with opportunities to engage in a broad range of competitive sports and activities. Teachers have the flexibility to organise and deliver a range of activities; this can include rifle shooting where teachers have the specific expertise.The government announced in the summer that it was allocating £50m from LIBOR fines to support the cadet expansion programme. This will deliver the Prime Minister's commitment to expand the number of cadet units to 500 across the UK by 2020.The Cadet Expansion programme is a joint MOD/DfE initiative. Cadet units aim to build character, discipline and leadership skills, particularly among disadvantaged young people, through military themed activities. Cadets will have the opportunity to experience rifle shooting as part of the cadet syllabus under the supervision of fully trained Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.

Pupil Premium

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the maximum take-up of the pupil premium; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The pupil premium provides schools with additional funding to improve the progress and attainment of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, with £6.25 billion provided to date. Pupil premium allocations to schools are mainly based on the number of pupils on roll at the time of the January school census who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the preceding six years.We are working to encourage all families who meet the current criteria toregisterfor free school meals. The Department’s eligibility checking system has made it much easier and quicker to check which families are entitled to free school meals.The Department has also published a registration form to help schools to identify pupils who are entitled to free school meals and the pupil premium. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-and-pupil-premium-registration-form.

Education: Disadvantaged

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase educational attainment among white boys from low-income socio-economic groups.

Nick Gibb: We are determined to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. The latest statistics show that more white boys eligible for FSM are achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of primary school, rising from 51 per cent in 2012 to 59 per cent in 2015.It is unacceptable, however, that fewer than one in four white boys eligible for free school meals (FSM) achieves the expected standard at the end of secondary school.Through the pupil premium, the government is providing additional targeted money, worth £2.5 billion in this year, to help schools support their disadvantaged pupils and improve their progress and attainment.We are raising expectations further for all pupils. We are determined to ensure that every child masters the basics of literacy and numeracy at primary school, and that those who do not will re-sit the tests at secondary school. We are also committed to introducing an expectation that every child who is able studies the EBacc combination of subjects – maths, English, history or geography, a language and the sciences - up until the age of 16.We are also introducing reforms that will further help ensure high standards throughout every child’s education and tackle entrenched underperformance, particularly amongst schools serving deprived communities.The National Teaching Service (NTS) will deploy the country’s best teachers and leaders to underperforming schools that struggle to attract and retain the professionals they need. 1,500 outstanding teachers will be part of NTS by 2020.The introduction of the national funding formula for schools will ensure that funding is transparently and fairly linked to children’s needs, ending the unfair system where children from identical disadvantaged circumstances attract significantly different levels of funding, simply because of where they live.We have also made a commitment to double the percentage of disadvantaged pupils accessing higher education by 2020, and this will include a focus on children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Truancy

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents have taken their children off the school roll after being threatened with prosecution for their child truanting in (a) academies and (b) local authority schools in the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of parents that have taken their children off the school roll after being threatened with prosecution for their child truanting.The department holds information on penalty notices for unauthorised absence at local authority level. The most recently published information is available in the “Parental responsibility measures: academies year 2012 to 2013”[1] report.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parental-responsibility-measures-academic-year-2012-to-2013

Education: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the National Funding Formula on (a) schools, (b) teachers and (c) pupils in Liverpool.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government is committed to meeting our manifesto pledge to make school funding fairer. At the Spending Review we announced our intention to deliver this by introducing a National Funding Formula in 2017, so that the money we provide for schools is fairly matched to need. As we develop our plans we will consider the effect of the formula on all schools, and we will make sure change is introduced at a pace that is manageable for the sector. We will set out our detailed proposals and consult extensively in the new year.

Conditions of Employment: Children

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that people under the age of 16 are paid for employment; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protection of children under the age of 16 who are employed.

Edward Timpson: There are legal safeguards for children of compulsory school age who are employed. These safeguards include the nature of the work that they may be asked to do, the maximum hours they may work, and the safety of their working environment. Local authorities and the Health and Safety Executive are responsible for ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation.Minimum wage legislation does not apply to children under 16.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the relationship between faith-based admissions policies and ethnic diversity in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Edward Timpson: The department does not conduct such assessments or collect data on individual schools’ admission arrangements. The department does publish data on the ethnicity of pupils enrolled at schools in England. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbersIt is for individual schools with a faith designation to decide whether or not to adopt faith-based admission arrangements, in the local context of their school.When constructing faith-based oversubscription criteria, they must have due regard to the guidance of their religious authority, and their arrangements must comply with the School Admissions Code.

Pupils: Ethnic Groups

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the ethnic diversity among pupils of Catholic schools and non-Catholic schools.

Edward Timpson: All schools are subject to the Equality Act 2010 and must comply with the requirements of the Schools Admission Code. The legislation is already available within the Equality Act 2010 and the Admission Code, which ensures schools meet their statutory requirements ensuring that a diverse ethnic group of pupils attend both Catholic and non-Catholic schools.The department does not conduct comparative assessments of ethnicity diversity among pupils of Catholic schools and non-Catholic schools.

Faith Schools: Ethnic Groups

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Catholic schools in supporting the integration of minority communities in (a) their student body and (b) the wider community.

Edward Timpson: The department does not conduct assessments on how effective Catholic schools are in supporting the integration of minority communities in their student body and the wider community.All state-funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, actively promote fundamental British values and have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between peoples of different backgrounds and faiths. Pupils are taught about diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the UK and the need for mutual respect and understanding. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes a focus on pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Under the Equality Act 2010 Faith schools are not allowed to treat pupils less favourably in any other way because of their religion or belief, or lack of belief. Under the Public Equality Duty, faith schools must also have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups.

Pupils: Bullying

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce additional support for children experiencing bullying.

Edward Timpson: All schools are required, by law, to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and they are held closely to account by Ofsted for their effectiveness.We have provided advice to schools on how to support children that are bullied. This makes clear that this might include pastoral support, counselling or peer mediation, engaging parents and in some cases offering separate on-site educational provision to provide respite for the bullied individual so they are able to continue to attend school. In extreme cases, where a child has developed complex needs as a result of bullying, which cannot be met in mainstream education, then alternative provision may need to be arranged. Our advice to schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullyingTo help schools tackle bullying we are providing £1.3 million of funding over 12 months from April 2015 to various anti-bullying charities including the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau. These organisations train teachers and pupils in schools to prevent bullying and deal with its impact when it occurs so that bullied children do not suffer continuing distress. This is in addition to the £4 million provided in 2013/15.The Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) published by my Department in November 2015 compared bullying among two cohorts of 14 year olds (year 10) from 2004 and 2014. This shows that, while there is clearly much more to do, thanks to the efforts of teachers and charities 30,000 fewer people in year 10 said they had been bullied in the last twelve months - a drop from 41 per cent in 2004 to 36 per cent in 2014.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lead: Ammunition

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on lead ammunition by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999.

Rory Stewart: Defra was created in 2001. It is therefore not possible to provide an answer in respect of the years prior to this. Natural England was established on 1 October 2006, so no data is available until the 2006-07 financial year.The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has identified that it has spent £300 on lead ammunition in the past three years, but is unable to provide a breakdown by year. Prior to this, the shooting of pests was outsourced and Kew is unable to identify the cost of ammunition provided through this service.Financial records do not always specify the type of ammunition purchased or the material from which it was made. Our records – with the caveats above – imply that Natural England has spent an average of £253 per year on lead shot since records began.

Polecats

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to control the number of polecats.

Rory Stewart: Wildlife management is a devolved matter, so I can only respond on behalf of England.Defra's general policy is that individuals should be free to manage wildlife within the law. In the first instance controlling polecats is the responsibility of the owner or occupier of the property where the problem occurs.Polecats are protected by the Bern Convention, which means the UK is obliged to protect their populations from unsustainable management and methods of control which are indiscriminate or capable of causing their local disappearance or serious disturbance. We meet our obligations through the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.Whilst polecats are not protected from killing or taking, those who wish to kill or take polecats may not use methods prohibited by those pieces of legislation (for example poisons, traps, snares or nets), unless they acquire a licence from Natural England permitting them to do so.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of farmers who received payments under the Environment Stewardship Scheme in October rather than August 2015 as a result of the withdrawal of online applications for such payments.

George Eustice: Environmental Stewardship (ES) claims are administered by Natural England. Historically, about 60% of advance payments have previously been paid in August.All ES and Basic Payment Scheme claims have to be cross-checked before payment can be made in line with European regulatory requirements. This year, due mainly to the extension of the claims deadline, it was necessary to delay ES advance payments until they could be cross-checked. From 2018, new European rules will prevent any payments from being made before 16 October each year.Natural England had paid 28,523 (60.24%) of advance payments by the end of October. Ninety-two percent of ES advance payments have now been made, and Natural England aims to pay the remainder of advance claims by the end of December.

Dogs: Smuggling

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the illegal transport of farmed puppies from the Republic of Ireland and southern Europe into the UK.

George Eustice: All movements of puppies into the UK that are not covered by the Pet Travel Scheme are subject to the provisions of the Council Directive 92/65/EEC (Balai Directive). This is implemented by the Trade in Animal and Related Products Regulations 2011. Commercial movements of puppies may be subject to a post-import check at the place of final destination by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.Responsibility for enforcing the Trade in Animal and Related Products Regulations 2011 falls to local authorities. They are also responsible for enforcing welfare in transport legislation which makes it an offence for anyone to transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering to them.The act of smuggling puppies in contravention of the animal health and welfare requirements may give rise to the commission of a number of different criminal offences depending on the circumstances of the illegal import. Defra is working with interested parties with a particular interest in improving the collection, analysis and use of intelligence relating to this illegal trade. We are also aware that some EU countries, such as the Republic of Ireland, have recently tightened up their regulatory requirements for puppy breeding, which we hope will also have a positive impact on the problem of illegal trade.

Flood Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Environment Agency's 2014 Long Term Investment Scenarios recommended optimum overall investment in flood defences of £750m to £800m each year to 2019-20; and whether she expects that level of overall investment to be achieved.

Rory Stewart: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 December 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The Environment Agency's Long Term Investment Scenarios report represents the best currently available projections of potential long term costs to manage flood and coastal risk under a range of scenarios reflecting future uncertainties. It will be kept under review as any further evidence emerges.The report confirms that current Government investment plans to 2020, together with forecast local contributions, are in line with the level the Environment Agency’s assessment indicates is necessary to reduce overall flood risk by 5%.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency's Long Term Investment Scenarios report represents the best currently available projections of potential long term costs to manage flood and coastal risk under a range of scenarios reflecting future uncertainties. It will be kept under review as any further evidence emerges.The report confirms that current Government investment plans to 2020, together with forecast local contributions, are in line with the level the Environment Agency’s assessment indicates is necessary to reduce overall flood risk by 5%.

Flood Control: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 will affect the level of funding for flood defences up to 2019-20.

Rory Stewart: In the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 we reiterated our commitment to invest £2.3 billion in more than 1,500 projects by 2021. This funding will help better protect 300,000 homes. We also announced our commitment to protect flood maintenance spending in real terms over this Parliament.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times the National Wildlife Crime Unit has assisted police in wildlife crime investigations in (a) London and (b) the UK in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stockton North, Alex Cunningham, on 17 November 2015, PQ UIN16012.

Dogs: Sales

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will seek a ban on the sale of puppies from retail outlets; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Under the Pet Animals Act 1951 local authorities can already apply conditions to individual pet shop licences. This includes, for example, restricting the species that can be sold. The power to apply conditions to an individual licence is in section 1(3) of the 1951 Act and is intended to help secure the welfare requirements set out in that section.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many badgers have been culled in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015 to date.

George Eustice: A total of 615 badgers were culled in 2014; 341 in Somerset, and 274 in Gloucestershire. These data were published in December 2014. A report on the outcome of the 2015 badger cull will be published shortly.

Animals: Licensing

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2015 to Question 17199, when she will publish the outcome of her Department's review of animal licensing legislation; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Government’s proposals on the review of the animal licensing legislation will be made available shortly.

Department of Health

Carers

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of councils have had at least one residential, domiciliary or specialist care provider fail in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: The Government does not collect this information.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have statutory responsibilities to temporarily meet the needs of individuals and their carers should their provider fail.The Act also gave the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a new function to oversee the finances of care providers which are either large or whose provision is geographically concentrated as their financial failure would make it difficult for local authorities to discharge their statutory responsibilities.The oversight function will provide early warning to relevant local authorities in the event that one of these providers is likely to fail and their services cease. This will allow local authorities time to implement contingency plans.The CQC have not made any such notifications to local authorities.

Social Services

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with which external stakeholders his Department has discussed contingency planning for provider failure in the social care market.

Alistair Burt: In 2013, Government carried out a public consultation (‘Oversight in Adult Social Care’) on a detailed set of proposals for market oversight and provider failure.The feedback from stakeholders including individual local authorities, local authority membership organisations, individual care providers, provider representative organisations and commercial experts formed the basis of a number of reforms in the Care Act 2014 that ensures people do not go without the care they need when their providers’ business fails. This includes:Duties on local authorities to temporarily meet the needs of individuals and their carers where their provider is unable to carry on because of business failure. Statutory guidance to support local authorities to discharge these functions was subject to a full public consultation and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementationThe Department also worked with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Local Government Association, and the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) to produce a guide to support local authorities to develop contingency plans for provider failure in the social care market. Numerous stakeholders, including local authorities, providers and insolvency practitioners were involved in the development of the guide and participated in the LGiU consultation exercises.The guidance can be found at:http://www.lgiu.org.uk/report/care-and-continuity-guide/The Department commissioned the consultancy Cordis Bright to produce guidance to support local authorities with market oversight at the local level to enable them to meet their new responsibilities under the Care Act for ensuring continuity of care in the event of a provider business failure. The materials were produced following extensive input from both councils and providers.New duties for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to oversee the finances of care providers which are either large or whose provision is geographically concentrated as their financial failure would make it difficult for local authorities to discharge their statutory responsibilities.The CQC oversight function will provide early warning to relevant local authorities in the event that one of these providers is likely to fail and their services cease. This will allow local authorities time to implement contingency plans.

Strokes: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on ensuring that drug dosages for stroke patients on the basis of the weight of the patient are calculated appropriately.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State has a wide range of discussions with a number of clinical bodies.We understand that this is a matter which will be considered in the review of evidence for the 5th edition of the Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party National Clinical Guidelines for stroke, which are due to be published next year.

NHS: Standards

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what system of monitoring his Department has for local authorities which repeatedly commission providers rated by the Care Quality Commission as requiring improvement.

Alistair Burt: Commissioning social care is a matter for local authorities as they are best placed to understand the needs of local people and communities, and how best to meet them. The Care Quality Commission ratings should inform their commissioning decisions; these ratings are available to the public. Local authorities are accountable to their local population through democratically elected members.The Department has developed statutory guidance to support local authorities to meet their duties for market shaping set out in the Care Act 2014, including commissioning. The Department has also worked with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Local Government Association and other partners to develop a framework of commissioning standards which will help local authorities improve their commissioning practices.

Health Professions: Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many doctors and nurses have been signed off work as a result of stress and other mental illness.

Ben Gummer: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publishes data on overall levels of sickness absence in the National Health Service. The Department has to balance the usefulness of information collected against the burden placed on NHS employing organisations. There are no plans to increase this burden by publishing information on the reasons for sickness absence including stress and other mental illness. Individual NHS employing organisations are responsible for managing sickness absence including where due to mental health.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on the proportion of people who received consultant-led mental health treatment within 18 weeks of referral.

Alistair Burt: We are implementing the first access and waiting times standards for mental health to ensure that 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme will be treated within six weeks of referral, and 95% will be treated within 18 weeks of referral and that 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis will be treated with a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved care package within two weeks of referral.NHS England already collects data on waiting times for people referred to IAPT services.We are working with the Health and Social Care Information Centre and NHS England to make changes to the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Dataset to start collecting data for the first time to measure, in a consistent way, access and waiting times for people referred to other mental health services. We will start collecting data first on access and waiting times for people referred for treatment following a first episode of psychosis in early 2016 and intend expanding this to other areas of mental health later.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how much clinical commissioning groups are overspending on mental health.

Alistair Burt: NHS England already collects information on clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs’) planned spending on mental health through the annual CCG business planning and assurance process. NHS England also collects information on actual annual spend by CCGs through the programme budgeting process.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on the proportion of the mental health budget that is spent on forensic psychiatry.

Alistair Burt: Forensic Services is one of the collections in NHS England’s new programme budget collection for mental health. NHS England is planning to publish 2014/15 data in early 2016.

NHS: ICT

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the NHS has to make use of (a) information technology and (b) informatics to improve the delivery of healthcare.

George Freeman: The Government’s policy for using information technology to improve the delivery of healthcare and transform outcomes for patients and citizens was set out in the National Information Board Framework for Action: Personalised Heath and Care 2020, published in November 2014. The document is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personalised-health-and-care-2020

Bone Marrow and Stem Cells: Donors

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to work with other governments and international NGOs to increase stem cell and bone marrow donor registration globally.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 December 2015 to Question 18582.

Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many local authorities have suicide prevention groups.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many local authorities have suicide prevention strategies.

Alistair Burt: Data is currently not collected centrally on how many local authorities have in place local suicide prevention strategies and multi-agency prevention groups.I will be meeting soon with Departmental officials and our delivery partner organisations on suicide prevention to explore ways in which we can work together to progress the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, including improving local delivery of the Strategy, and the collection of information.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many children and young people are admitted to hospital due to mental health problems.

Alistair Burt: Hospital Episode Statistics data already gives details on the number of admissions to hospital by age group and by condition, including mental health conditions. We are also investing in new data sources on both prevalence and service use. From January 2016, the new Mental Health Services Dataset will begin to provide data for both adults and children on outcomes, length of treatment, the source of referral, location of appointment and demographic information.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how much local clinical commissioning groups spend on independent sector providers.

George Freeman: This information is already collected centrally by the Department.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many mental health beds are available on specific dates.

Alistair Burt: NHS England collects information on mental health beds available for children and young people on specific dates. Departmental officials are considering with NHS England whether further bed availability data can be collected.

Motor Neurone Disease

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support in (a) monetary terms and (b) skills his Department provides for research into motor neurone disease.

George Freeman: The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including motor neurone disease (MND). These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.Current NIHR awards include a £0.3 million doctoral research fellowship looking at the use of telehealth in MND.The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently recruiting patients to 21 trials and studies in MND.The NIHR Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure is a unique resource for the global life sciences industry, simplifying access to the United Kingdom’s world-leading clinical research infrastructure in all disease areas including MND.The NIHR Research Design Service supports researchers to develop and design high-quality proposals for submission to NIHR itself and also to other national, peer-reviewed funding competitions for applied health or social care research in all disease and topic areas including MND. The service provides expert advice to researchers on all aspects of preparing funding applications in these fields, including advice on research methodology, clinical trials, patient involvement, and ethics and governance.

Autism

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote compliance by clinical commissioning groups with the NICE Quality Standard on Autism.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department and NHS England are taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (a) children and (b) adults meet NICE guidance (a) in Halton and (ii) nationally.

Alistair Burt: The Department issued new statutory guidance in March this year for local authorities and National Health Service organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update. This sets out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies.The Department has also discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to discuss good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. The Quality Standard, which applies to children, young people and adults, recommends that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the NHS to be working towards meeting the recommendations.We understand that NHS Halton CCG is working on improvements to the paediatric neurological pathway which incorporates children with autism. This will see the Child Development Centre (CDC) in Halton become a single access point of assessment for the most complex children. It is expected that the CDC will ensure that the first appointment for a child referred to them is well within the three months recommended by NICE.The service commissioned by Halton CCG will also comply with NICE guidelines by ensuring that the appropriate mix of clinicians is available for a multi-disciplinary assessment, which also includes Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.In regard to adults, NHS Halton CCG is currently meeting its statutory requirements with autism by purchasing a diagnostic service on a cost per case basis from our provider of mental health services, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The CCG is working with other partners who receive the same service from the same provider with a view to pooling resources to commission a diagnostic and post diagnostic service.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on the roll-out of liaison and diversion services; and what timetable he has set for completion of the business case for completing the national roll-out of those services.

Alistair Burt: Liaison and diversion services are currently available to approximately 50 per cent of the population in England.Further rollout is conditional upon completing business case approvals. The business case approval process is underway and we hope that this process will be completed early in 2016.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of clinical commissioning groups have (a) had their transformation plans approved by NHS England and received funding and (b) been told their transformation plans need further work.

Alistair Burt: NHS England have received and successfully assured Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health that cover every clinical commissioning group (CCG) in England. All CCGs will receive the funding allocation agreed through the assurance process by the end of December.

Mental Health Services: Older People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Equality Act 2010 on the care of older adult mental health patients.

Alistair Burt: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of the Equality Act 2010 on the care of older adult mental health patients.In September 2012, following the introduction of the Equality Act 2010, the Department published guidance Implementing a ban on age discrimination in the NHS – making effective, appropriate decisions. This is available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/implementing-a-ban-on-age-discrimination-in-the-nhs-making-effective-appropriate-decisions

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many instances of readmission to inpatient psychiatric units there were in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Information is not available for the period 2010/11 – 2012/13. The table below shows the number of unplanned readmissions to mental health services within 30 days of a mental health inpatient discharge in people aged 17 and over for 2013/14 and 2014/15:YearDischargesReadmissions2014/15113,45812,5012013/14111,99312,006Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre MHMDS / MHLDDS 2013/14 – 2014/15Notes:Data is shown for all persons registered in England, aged 17 and over, with a valid age and gender.Discharges are from a mental health inpatient service with people aged 17 and over.Readmissions are counted when there is an unplanned readmission to a mental health service within 30 days of the discharge date.Discharges have been provided for context.

Mental Health Services: Older People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist inpatient services for older adult mental health patients have closed in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.In-patient services for older mental health patients are now included in the range of services provided by NHS mental health trusts and independent providers.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with mental health charities on the sections of the Editors' Code of Practice that cover reporting on mental health and suicide.

Alistair Burt: I meet regularly with a number of mental health charities to discuss a range of issues, including suicide prevention.Departmental officials work closely with the Samaritans on suicide prevention and support the excellent work they do on advising the media on adhering to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code and the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s Code of Practice. The Samaritans also publishes guidance to the media on its website on the sensitive reporting of suicide.

Cancer

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to allocate enough funding to cover predicted changes in the cost of cancer care beyond treatment.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will implement the recommendations made in the Independent Cancer Taskforce's new Cancer Strategy.

Jane Ellison: The Independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes, in July this year. It identified improving support for people living with and beyond cancer, and improving long-term quality of life as high priorities.NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the Taskforce report. A cross-system Cancer Transformation Board, chaired by the new National Cancer Director, Cally Palmer, will be established to oversee implementation of the strategy, and will have its first meeting in early 2016. The Transformation Board will formulate more detailed plans for implementation of the report’s recommendations based on the final outcome of the spending review. More details will be available in early 2016.

Obesity: Surgery

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money will be devolved to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to coincide with the transfer of obesity surgery commissioning responsibilities from NHS England to CCGs in April 2016; and what NHS England spent on such services in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

George Freeman: Any transfer of budget from NHS England to devolved areas will be on the basis of existing contractual activity.For England, the expenditure against morbid obesity for adults totalled £50.36 million in 2014/15.NHS England is not able to provide a figure for devolvement on 1 April 2016 as the basis for calculating the figures is still being discussed.

Obesity: Medical Treatments

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether clinical commissioning groups  are fully prepared to assume active commissioning of tier 4 obesity from April 2016.

George Freeman: NHS England is supporting the transfer of commissioning responsibilities for obesity surgery services to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to ensure that they are fully prepared to assume the role.They will provide technical and operational guidance to commissioners, including undertaking an evaluation of Tier 3 and Tier 4 interfaces within regions to assist CCGs. This guidance is in development.NHS England is also supporting CCGs through national and local collaborative meetings on commissioning.

Coeliac Disease

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve services for people with coeliac disease; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The treatment of coeliac disease is a lifelong gluten-free diet. It is therefore important clinicians understand the symptomatic picture of the condition and the investigations required to support an appropriate diagnosis. It is also important that patients who are diagnosed with coeliac disease are given suitable advice and support about how to manage their diet accordingly and can be referred to specialist services if clinically appropriate.To support NHS services in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of children and adults with coeliac disease, in September 2015 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its best practice guideline Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management. The new guideline sets out seven recommendations to improve services for coeliac patients and includes implementation advice for the local NHS on the provision of the laboratory testing and interpretation of results and access to healthcare professionals trained to give specialist dietetic advice in relation to coeliac disease. The guidance can be found at the following linkwww.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20

Visual Impairment: Health Services

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time sight loss adviser posts there are in hospitals in England.

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on the provision of eye clinic care liaison officers in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: In England, eye clinics and their staffing, including Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLO), are commissioned and funded by individual clinical commissioning groups on the basis of local assessments of need. The Department does not collect data on the number of eye clinic liaison officers employed in hospitals or how much has been spent on funding ECLOs. The Government fully appreciates the impact that sight loss can have on a person’s life and the importance of information being available for those newly diagnosed with sight loss, including signposting patients to appropriate support and rehabilitation services.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that funding is sufficient to meet patient demand in (a) community mental healthcare and (b) inpatient mental healthcare; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: NHS England’s Planning Guidance for 2015/16, Forward View into action: planning for 2015-16, sets out the expectation that clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) spending on mental health services in 2015/16 should increase in real terms, and grow by at least as much as each CCG’s allocation increase to support the ambition of parity between mental and physical health. Compliance with the Planning Guidance is being assured at national and Area Team level.